Okay--Autumn can start now!

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Growing up in the North Eastern U.S. gives you a special affinity (not to mention allergies) to the Four Seasons of the year. However, I have this thing about the inaugral moment a season starts for me. I anticipate the changes in weather, sights, sounds and smells, but regardless of what the calendar states, the season does not start on a particular day for me. The season starts when I get my tradition "fix". I have certain traditions that help commence the seasons.

For Winter, it is Christmas Eve when all the friends and family are around, the candles and glowing and the aroma of home-cooked foods and beauty of house decorations make a warm welcome to the chilly season.
For Spring, it is the first windy day without rain, when the gray clouds of winter give way to the puffy white ones. I don't recognize Spring until I can fly a kite with my kids on one of those perfect days.
As for summer--well, even though I'm a teacher and you'd think the offical start of summer is 3:00 pm on the last day of school, it actually doesn't begin for me until I see my first drive-in movie outside after a picnic supper with friends and family. We don't live too far away from America's Oldest Drive-in Theater!!

And now for Autumn--it can offically start because our family has visited the Apple Orchard for our hand-picked version of Johnny Golds. I don't declare that Autumn is here until I ride the old raggedy truck out to the trees, bite my first apple and snap my farm photos like I've done every year since my children were born. That's what we did today, and so even though it is Oct. 1st tomorrow--today was the 1st day of Fall for me. Let the festivities begin!

I call this one "pieces of me" and it exemplifies the way I love to create. I call my style "Controlled Chaos". This is actually a photo of the layout BEFORE I ripped it all apart and reconstructed it with a different background and journaling. I am not posting that as yet, because I am hoping the new layout will be published. Enjoy!

The Note Box Purse
I found these cute little index sized note boxes on sale at Target and decorated them with 7 gypsies new line "Zanzibar". I filled them with note cards from DUDE and used this as a Kind thought box for our former boss who moved away. Each of the staff filled out a card and then we gave the filled box to our friend as a way to always keep our memories fresh.

*It's also a great idea to fill with favorite family recipes and give at a wedding shower, or fill with well-wishes for someone who is sick.










The pink purse has a Fancy Pants chipboard swirl on the front for flair.

Inspired

Wow--I found this artist/author and her blog today. I heard she is writing a book and her art is simply breathtaking. Check out her Blog

TOOT TOOT!

It's my very first official "toot" and win in the scrapbooking world. I entered my Pirate LO in AMM's August Contest (A Million Memories). Way fun theme for this way excited chick!
AMM gallery

Suburban Pirate

Hi ladies,
My hubby and I were busy lately-taking photos at our friend's wedding and preparing for school. (we are both teachers) But I have an irresistable urge to submit to contests now that I haven't won CK SOY or MMM!! LOL
But all my hard work what do I do with it? SUBMIT--so I'll give you a taste of my latest entry for *AMM's August Contest (*A Million Memories). It is a cool site-check it out. You can see more of my detail pics on the user gallery! http://www.amillionmemories.com/
The theme is pirates--and I called mine "Suburban Pirate--Hunter of Stuff". I have gone "yard-saleing" (like it is an actual sport or hobby) since I was a tiny child. I come from one of those artsy-collecting-pack rat kind of families and now I just can't help myself. LOL
I love looking at antiques,thrift stores and garage sales... but what is really exciting is ---the HUNT. It has to rank up there with the thrill men feel when they fish--ya know--it's a good day if they caught a big one even if they did spend 5 hours waiting for that one fish (oh help me--I could never sit that long looking at water) But add some girlfriends, husband or family, rummage through people's discarded objects--now there's an adventure!!!!
*This is a 2-page LO. The smaller photos on the 2nd page describe how to 'HUNT'--Haggle, Seek and Share. Each photo is held on by Basic Grey's magnetic dots and when they are turned over, they reveal some journaling.

In My Image

My son is sometimes like a mirror image of me when I was a child. He is forever curious, always experimenting and sketch paper is never too far away. I've never needed him to be an artist for my sake, but I watch in awe as it comes natural for him and seems to be a native language of his soul. I am grateful for this wonder in my children and can't help but ponder if God felt this instinctive bond when he said in the Bible that "We are created in His image"? (Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.)
How differently would we act, feel or live if we confidently saw ourselves as reflections of a heavenly father? As reflections of God? My son seems very pleased and prideful when I talk about how much we have in common and how he does things 'like me'. Hmmm....Would we feel closer to God knowing that we are like him and he delights in us?

This is a digital page I made using Adobe Fireworks. I scanned his animal drawings in, used the magic wand to remove the white so the sketch lines were the only thing left. Then I arranged them around a faded image of his face and typed his question that he asked his dad. And yes--the pictures are hanging on the wall of his father's high school Spanish classroom.:-)